Health Benefits of Biotin

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Hair loss is becoming a major concern in our fast paced lifestyle, especially in professions where keeping your looks in order is important. But profession or not, who doesn’t want a head full of great hair! Hair loss can be caused by a variety of reasons! Sometimes it’s just due to heredity or genetic factors. Other reasons maybe stress, an unhealthy diet or an unhealthy lifestyle, smoking and drinking, or excessive use of hair styling products. Hair loss can also be a symptom of some grave underlying diseases such as hypothyroidism, medications, or improper hormone functioning, obesity or vitamin deficiencies. Keep reading to know what you can do to stop hair loss.

There are two main known methods of battling hair loss. Here they are pitched against one another so that you can decide what works best for you. They are Rogaine and Biotin.

What should you know about Rogaine?

Rogaine is how minoxidil is marketed. Initially it was used as a blood pressure lowering drug, but had an interesting side effect. It induced hair growth! Now Rogaine is FDA approved for promoting hair growth. In some cases it may lead to darkening of hair too. It is available as an OTC topical ointment now. But if it has been prescribed by your doc, then chances are that you have been asked to take biotin supplements too.

Rogaine may have some side effects that you need to keep in mind before opting for this product. These are rather mild in intensity. You may experience sudden weight gain, redness or irritation on the scalp where you apply it, and in rare cases palpitations or dizziness. Get in touch with your doctor over your concern for these.

What should you know about Biotin?

Biotin is also known as vitamin H. it is responsible for healthy hair and nails. It regulates your blood sugar as it works directly with the conversion of carbohydrates and fats to glucose.

Biotin is great for overall health of the body and during weight loss periods too as an aid to weight loss. Since it helps with the conversion of what we eat to biochemical energy, it ensures that all parts of your body gets a part of the nutrition. So your hair follicles get adequate nutrition and the cortex of your hair is strengthened.

Biotin has been known to arrest hair fall immediately and with prolonged use has also stimulated the growth of new hair follicles.

Verdict

Given that one of them is used as a medicine that is it has been synthesized in a lab and the other is a naturally occurring vitamin, biotin is recommended as the tool of choice to re grow your hair. It’s safe and has no side effects. Also it benefits the whole body and gives you a chance at a healthy lifestyle. But before you go ahead with any of these, do consult your doc and understand what you are getting into.

Hair loss or hair fall is a huge problem with many these days, gender no bar. And people all over the world have started resorting to hair transplants and other forms of invasive treatment to see differences. After all who wouldn’t want to have a head full of thick, lustrous hair! But what if you could grow back your hair by just tweaking your diet a little here and there? Unbelievable, eh? But it’s very much a possibility, in fact over the last couple of years, science and doctors are increasingly giving credit to this secret vitamin that helps with bringing your hair back. Some en say that there nails have become stronger!

What is this secret vitamin?

Ever heard of the Vitamin H? It’s also known as biotin and more or less helps with all the functions of the human body. It is needed so that the body can easily make use of carbohydrates, fats and proteins that you take in. in fact, the production of biochemical energy in your body is due to this vitamin! It acts as a catalyst or a coenzyme in energy production cycles. In short it boosts your metabolism, controls sugar levels in your body and is overall great for general health.

Also if you are trying to lose weight, then biotin might help you achieve that svelte figure faster. Since it helps with energy production and metabolism, this is a good thing to have in your diet. Start taking a biotin supplement if you are trying to lose weight.

What’s biotin’s linked to healthy hair?

Biotin deficiency has no direct relation to hair loss or unhealthy hair. But a good amount of this vitamin in the body does manifest itself as thick and lustrous hair. In fact when people have complained of hair loss and they have been started on biotin supplements, it has been shown to arrest hair fall. And with continued use has even stimulated new hair growth.

So how does this happen?

Biotin helps with keeping your hair follicles healthy. Since it helps with the breakdown of fats, carbohydrates, proteins in the body, it ensures that all parts of the body are given that nutrition. If you have lustrous skin, them somewhere down the line, biotin is responsible for it. It helps against flaky and dry scalp. It also increases the elasticity of the hair and strengthens the hair cortex.

What are the sources of biotin?

Egg yolks and liver are the richest sources of biotin. But they are also found in green leafy vegetables, cereals, milk and dairy products, and colored vegetables. Beef also has this vitamin in a prominent quantity. But if you are a vegan, then its time to start taking a biotin supplement.

So the secret ingredient is not really secret. It’s a vitamin that is available in nature and is part of a well balanced and nutritious diet. Therefore for healthy hair, have a well balanced diet and exercise regularly.

Apart from obesity, scanty hair or hair fall is one of the many problems plaguing mankind today. And like obesity, the solution to hair fall lies in what you eat or rather whatever goes inside your body. The parallels are to make you see the deeper connection between what you are and what you eat. So it will not come as a surprise when you come to know that vitamin B12 has actually helped a lot of people overcome the hair problem. Let’s work our way to why there is hair loss in seemingly healthy people and if Vitamin B12 really does help with it.

What causes hair fall?

Hair fall or slower hair growth can be attributed to a number of reasons.

Environmental factors such as air pollution and water pollution, stress

Genetic or hereditary factors.

Insufficient nutrition or deficiency of certain vitamins and minerals in the body.

Certain drugs and treatment that have led to adverse reactions in the body. Sometimes weight loss products lead to hair loss.

Cosmetic treatment of hair

A peek into what vitamin B12 and what it does for your body

Vitamin B12 is one of the eight B vitamins and is also known as cobalamin. It is a water soluble vitamin that is responsible for the formation of blood. It is also required for the proper functioning of the brain and the nervous system. As you grow older more of the vitamin is required in your body, especially for pregnant and lactating women. It is absorbed in your body with the help of hydrochloric acid and intrinsic factor that are made in your stomach.

Vitamin B12 is found in fish, meat, poultry, eggs, dairy products, breakfast cereals, oats, rye and other products that have been fortified with vitamin B12. To specifically buy such foods, check the nutritional label.

How does vitamin B12 help with hair growth?

An important property of vitamin B12 is that they help in cell replication and DNA formation. There are a lot more vitamins and minerals, required for these processes, but B12 does play an important role here. A deficiency of vitamin B12 may mean difficulties in DNA formation or cell replication. The human hair follicles require this vitamin so that they can replicate properly and grow hair effectively. Also since cobalamin is responsible for the formation of red blood cells, a deficiency may mean that the RBCs don’t take in proper oxygen. The hair follicles again suffer in this regard as they don’t get proper nutrition from the blood stream. This gives rise to hair fall, brittle and breakage prone hair, very slow hair growth or none at all and other hair related issues.

If you have been having problems with hair growth ask your doctor to check if you are suffering from vitamin B12 deficiency. Then focus on correcting its levels in the body. But in any case start with vitamin B12 supplements immediately. There are no adverse effects of this water soluble vitamin.

Simply known as Vitamin H or B7, Biotin is nothing but a water soluble vitamin. It is ideally deemed extremely significant and healthy for hair and nails. Researches over several years have established that Biotin works by regulating the cell metabolism of the body as it metabolizes amino acids and carbohydrates; thereby, converting them into nutrients which in turn provide energy to your body.

Biotin is generally found in eggs, almonds, sardines, whole grain foods and pecans. Dryness of hair and weakness in the nails are some symptoms signifying lack of Biotin in your body. In order to maintain the healthy nature of your nails and hair, one must ensure a balanced level of Biotin in body. There are several kinds of Biotin supplements also available in market these days. However, it is important to maintain a moderate intake of Biotin supplements, so as to sustain the required nutritional value of Vitamin H and B7 in your body.

Appropriate Dosage of Biotin

There are several studies to show that any extra dose of Biotin, over and beyond the required value can cause side effects as well. Further, it has also been reported by these studies that people suffering from lack of Biotin in their body can take aid of the Biotin supplements; however, avoiding any prolonged use of the same. In other words, once the requisite Biotin level is retained in the body, one must stop external consumption of the same so as to avoid any form of side effects.

The ideal amount of Biotin intake is considered to be 5000 Mcg which is equivalent to 5 mg. However, this quantity generally varies depending upon the age of the person. For instance, in the case of Biotin deficiency in kids, it is generally advised to have around 10 to 20 Mcg of Biotin.

Biotin5000McgSideEffects

Even though Biotin 5000 Mcg is supposed to be an ideal dosage of Biotin, this may even result in certain side effects to several people. Following are some of the probable side effects of Biotin5000 Mcg, as have been reported earlier in several cases:

AllergicReaction:This is one of the side effects of taking Biotin 5000 Mcg, especially for people with extremely sensitive skin. They can experience skin eruptions at any part of the body and even itchiness or rashes. Chest and throat tightening are also reported side effects with people suffering from cobalt allergy. Such people are generally advised against intake of any level of Biotin.

AdverseEffectsonBloodGlucose:Biotin is one of the essential nutrients for regulating formation of glucose and fatty acids in the body. Therefore, Biotin 5000 Mcg, if deemed to be too excessive for a person, may lead to high sugar levels in the body. Therefore, people suffering from diabetes must be extra careful before taking Biotin 5000 Mcg.

EosinophilicPleuropericardialEffusion: Eosinophilic Pleuropericardial effusion can be a life threatening situation if Biotin is taken in excessive quantities. This is a major pulmonary infection which takes place when blood and air enter the lungs through the pleural cavity space. However, such an extreme side effect of Biotin 5000 Mcg is rarely observed.

Before you start taking Biotin 500 Mcg, don’t forget to consult the specialist to avoid any side effects or worsening of the situation.